


Break Your Mind

by JadeEnder



Series: Merged AU [17]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2020-05-13 00:57:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19240603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadeEnder/pseuds/JadeEnder
Summary: Callous hadn't a chance to really have some fun since they'd been merged, it's time he let's loose.





	Break Your Mind

**Author's Note:**

> TW for physical and mental abuse.

Callous clicked his tongue as he examined his handiwork. The light before him already had various cuts in rather specific places, Callous had always had a knack for research and well he knew where to cause the most pain.

 

In addition Callous's personal symbol, a bloody dagger has been carved into Hyrules shoulder, naturally the wound wouldn't be there on his physical body but it was the trauma that counted.

 

"It's been quite awhile since I've had an audience, captive or otherwise and well I've got a taste for theatrics." Callous spun the dagger in his hand and clicked his tongue thinking. "Any suggestions from the peanut gallery?"

 

Hyrule remained stoically silent. "Not wanting to talk huh? That's fine I can do all the talking."

 

Callous paced around allowing Hyrule a quick reprieve as the light lifted his head back up to face the dark. 

 

"I know all of your worst fears, all of your worst and most intrusive thoughts. Really I have my pick of games. What you did today? You've majorly inconvenienced me." Callous swaggered back and forth before stopping snapping his fingers. "Ah I know what game to play next."

 

Walking behind Hyrule Callous placed a hand on the chair and the scene changed. They were on a cliff overlooking a turbulent ocean, Hyrule gulped the cuts on his neck making the action difficult.

 

“Such a beautiful view isn't it?” Callous commented before tipping Hyrule’s chair over the edge. “Fancy a swim?”

 

“No.” Hyrule said quietly. He had been way to quiet while Callous had worked and honestly it was starting to piss the dark off.

 

“Oh you don’t want to swim? Come on the water is nice and clear.” As Callous said that a sea monster jumped up from the water and snapped at Hyrule’s feet causing the light to stifle a scream. 

 

Callous tilted the chair over so his hand was the only thing keeping Hyrule from falling in completely. “Beg. If you don’t want to go into the water beg like the pathetic light you are.”

 

Callous turned an ear to the light mockingly, however the light didn’t reply but was chanting a mantra under his breath, it's not real, it's not real, he said.

 

Oh he was about to learn how real this was. Callous released the chair causing it to pitch forward and tumble over the edge, a real scream ripped from Hyrule’s throat as he sunk into the water. Callous laughed, a sound full of sadistic delight as he watched.

 

Ah this was his element. Eternal, Stygian those so called titans had never had the patience for subtly and subtext. Eternal was a creative bastard when it came to physical torture but he let his anger make him sloppy. Sure he had broken that mutt, but it took hundreds of years and hadn’t even really worked as everyone could see, besides Eternal of course. 

 

Callous on the other hand, he knew how to do this. It wasn’t all about physical torture, the mind was more important, hunger and fear of pain only got you so far. Looking down into the water Callous determined it had been long enough and changed the dream around leaving a sputtering and heaving Hyrule laid in the floor of a labyrinth. 

 

Squatting down by the light Callous whispered “Have a nice swim?”

 

“Stop.” Hyrule whispered between gasps of breath.

 

“Why would I stop when the game just got good?” Hyrule questioned. “Besides I thought after all this time you’d want someone to talk to. After all who would ever want to face one of these alone?”

 

The bunny creature of Hyrule’s nightmare appeared in front of him, a pol’s voice. An enemy so terrible, Hyrule’s voice locked up despite what he knew he needed to do to defeat it. His breathing became erratic, all of his training and attention learning to slow his breathing and observe currently lost to fear.

 

“Here, allow me.” Callous offered stepping up to the rabbit like creature and letting out a deep scream causing the Pol’s voice to scream in response before vanishing. 

 

Looking back Callous found the light cowering, his hands over his ears.

 

“Are your sensitive ears hurt? Perhaps you’d like to take care of the next few?” Callous vanished into the shadows and reappeared on top of the labyrinth wall. Pol’s voice appeared in a circle around the panicking light. Hyrule looked up the enemies and tried to pull himself up but with Callous’s strategically placed cuts making breathing hard and lingering water in his lungs dragging him down Hyrule fell back to the ground. 

 

“You know ‘Rule this is a good opportunity to talk.” Callous said, his voice carrying over the gnashing sounds of the enemies as he paced on top of the wall. “Thats twice now you’ve been able to act without permission. It seems if you have so much energy we’ll need to have some more fun times like these.”

 

“What you did today is going to set me back. I hate that barbarian with a passion but having his very presence causing chaos in the group would have been just the right motivator to get us to this witch. I’m tired of being forced to stoop to travel miles by foot and sleeping on the ground. Veran knew the deal, and she will pay for violating it.”

 

Callous stopped for a second and laughed. Summoning up an image of a mirror in his hand Callous looked at the dark metal, the back bearing overlapping images of a broken clock and a tree a deep crack maring the image, the hilt carved with musical notes. Eternal’s mirror, he’d been holding onto the damned thing for months now. With this he could cripple the lights and get rid of his greatest enemy in one action. But he was cautious, he was patient, there would be a time to destroy them and now wasn’t it.

 

Banishing the shadow of the mirror Callous turned back to his light who was curled into a ball the pol’s voices closing in around him. Tsking the dark stepped off the wall and landed on the ground easily.

 

“Giving up already? Oh well I suppose that's enough for tonight.” Callous screamed the remaining Pol’s Voice and watched them disappear and Hyrule squeaked in pain again. “It’s time to wake up.”

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

Hyrule woke knowing if he had any control over his body he would have been hyperventilating. But of course Callous was still in control, wasn't he?

 

Hyrule wished he could life his hand and it worked. Testing slowly Hyrule opened and closed his hands before sitting up from the cot, it was still night but the darkness was beginning to lighten a heralding sign that dawn was soon to come.

 

Reaching over the bed Hyrule grabbed Callous's mirror from his bag. The wood was dark and the handle was coated in blood stains, dark blood. Flipping it over Hyrule found the symbol on back to be a knife stabbed through a compass, subconsciously Hyrule reached for his shoulder where the image of a knife had been carved and found it unmarred.

 

Of course it was all a dream, but why was Callous giving him control now? 

 

“Wondering what your doing in control aren’t you?” Callous mused his voice coming from within Hyrule’s head. 

 

“What game is this?” Hyrule whispered looking to make sure none of the others were awake.

 

“I just wanted a little break, is that so wrong?” Callous questioned laughing lightly. “Enjoy what little time I permit you.”

 

From that Hyrule knew exactly what this was, the moment he took a single step out of line Callous was force him back within his own mind again, giving him a taste of freedom before ripping it away. 

 

The realization pulled tightly on him like rope as he sighed still feeling phantom pain from Callous’s “games”. But just a little control, a tiny chance, could be all he needed.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: in the Japanese version of the original LoZ the enemies featured in this chapter, Pol's Voice, could only be killed by screaming into the mix, a feature carried over into later remakes of the game.


End file.
